Anyone with a green thumb?
 

I have a question about sunflowers. Will an already cut sunflower sprout roots so you can plant it outside? :confused: I googled it and came up with nothing.

Help!

paging Carnation.......

My parents own a flower shop, but I kill green things.

Anyway, as far as I know, a cut sunflower will not sprout roots. You could, however, germinate some seeds and use those, but really, your best bet would just be to either buy a sunflower plant, or but some already-germinated seeds.

If you are interested just in growing something for fun, do a spider-plant or avacado seed. It's about the easiest thing in the world to do.

No, it won't because it's the flower end, not the plant end.

However, sunflowers are very easy to grow and there are even some gorgeous dwarf varieties that you can plant in containers.

Thanks guys. My boyfriend got me this flower "just because" and I have fallen in love with it. I think I'll purchase some for the spring and see how that goes. Thanks again! :D

If you are starting with seeds, put them in starter pots until they get their roots going. Otherwise, you will have a hard time distinguishing between weed and flower. If you are going to buy the plants, put a little split, bottomless Dixie cup around the base. Mulch around the cup not on the plant, to keep the weeds down. When the flowers die, they will drop seeds and self propagate.

AHAHAHAHA ThetaGrrl, you crack me up. I can't believe we're not sisters. bwahahahaha

I have a question? Why do the tips of all my plants turn brown and die? Someone told me it was becasue I water my plants too much. Is that true?

Aww, thanks, I'm blushing... :D

Lifesaver- are they turning brown and drying up and getting crunchy? Because if so, you are not overwatering. Depending on the plant, it might be anything from the light it is in, to whether or not it's around other plants (i.e., carnations will make roses go soft when they are cut). You can cut the ends off if they are just slightly brown, at the angle at which the leaf grows, to make it a little more aesthetically pleasing.

Or, throw it away and buy a new one. That's what I'd do, but purely out of laziness.

I know it's very easy to get gnats when you overwater. We have them at the plants in my office and it grosses me out. I keep asking my boss if I can pesticide them (I have a license to do it) but she won't let me because it'll apparently piss of the people that take care of the plants (who don't have a license, so they use alcohol and water, which apparently doesn't work).

It really depends on the plant, what is it?

Brown tips can mean the air is too dry/not enough water/too much light or over fertilization. If you were watering it too much, the leaves USUALLY turn yellow and drop.

I have a gazillion plant reference books. If you tell me what it is, I'll look it up for you.

New question...

Are Gerber Daisies (i might have spelled that wrong) difficult to grow? I think they are beautiful and I would like to try to grow them myself.

I have the same problem. It started to happen with this bamboo plant I had. I know bamboos aren't exactly "real" plants but I don't have the time to spend on nicer plants. First some of the tips turned yellow. I didn't know if it was the water level though. I gave it filtered watered and, since it's held in little pebbles, I filled it up to the top usually so whenever it went down i kept filling it up. Is that why? Am I a plant killer and don't even know it??

I left one of my plants near a heater and all the leaves fell off :( They will grow back right?

-Rudey
--Does anyone even trust me with kids if I say I think their toes would grow back?

These are pretty easy. Just make sure you don't plant them deeper than the pot you got them in. I really do suggest starting with a mature plant at first. They will die in a cold area, but here in La the original can come back. When the flower dies, a lot of people will pinch them off. I let these types dry and then with my fingers role the seeds out and drop on the ground. you can just bury-not too deep- a dry pod...at least it works for me. Give it miracle grow as you see buds forming and continue through the flowering season. Miracle Grow is a MIRACLE!!! Super Bloom is great for flowers to. Sometimes you can force their bloom or extend their time.

Rudey, are you talking about the bamboo you see in Chinese restaurants? I'm not well versed on those, but I'll look it up for you. I had one that an acupuncturist gave us. I "allowed" it to live for almost a year. The leaves kept turning paler and paler.
I moved it outdoors (sick of watching the pain) and forgot about it. It caught a lot of rain water and fooled me into thinking it would come back. It didn't. So, don't feel too bad.

Plant by heater-If you get it away from dry air and direct light, you will help it immensely. If the roots are still alive, it SHOULD come back. Some plants are so fussy, you have to MIST them...not for me.

I'll see what I can find.
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Edited here...We are BOTH guilty of murder! The water is to be changed every three days. It roots easily. This plant is steeped in tradition. It passes happiness to the receiver. You are supposed to take a cutting to pass along once it has roots. Then you can plant it in rich, fertile, loamy soil. Do you have roots? Are they firm and not squishy? If so, it might rebound.

Where do you get fertile soil? Please don't tell me I have to buy a giant bag of that stuff from home depot.

Are all plants different for watering?

This has roots. In fact it has lived longer than any other bamboo plant i've heard of and is bigger. It's double its size in over a year. I seriously spent time cleaning the rocks with filtered water once a week and water it every day. I'm scared that taking it out of the plant each time to clean its rocks might have hurt it.

-Rudey